by L. M. Brown
Halor kept one arm round his shoulders and the other hand on Kit’s belly. “We’ll be there soon. It’s not far now. Just a few more minutes.”
Kit closed his eyes and placed his hand over Halor’s. I can do this. If only he didn’t feel even more ill than he usually did from the flight. Part of him thought it might be affecting him worse because of the pregnancy, though in reality he was past the stage where he constantly wanted to be sick.
“Here we are,” Halor said. “All over.”
Logan and Darcy had already climbed out and Logan held out his hands for Kit to take.
Getting out of the craft wasn’t as easy as it usually was. His nerves made him clumsy and his toga slipped a little. He tugged it back into place, conscious of the stares of those who had exited the palace to wait for the return of the royal family.
King Lorcan excused himself, pleading a council meeting that was due to start shortly.
Kit could barely hide his sigh of relief at his departure. The man had barely looked at him after Halor had made his announcement.
“We’re going to retire to our rooms for a few hours,” Halor announced. “Logan’s sister is to be allocated rooms near our own. As a medic, I would like her close at hand.”
“Of course,” his mother replied. She snapped her fingers and a servant appeared. She relayed Halor’s instructions to the man, who nodded obediently.
Halor kept Kit at his side as they made their way through the palace. Thankfully, the place seemed relatively quiet, with only a few servants going about their work.
“This place is amazing,” Darcy said. “I’ve never seen anything like it. The walls look like metal until you get up close and realise they’re wood. Is it living?”
“Yes,” Halor confirmed. “The palace continues to grow, though unfortunately not at a rate that accommodates the ever-growing royal family and the staff. The overcrowding is part of the reason I live off-world most of the time. My ship may be small and crowded for the four of us, but generally it is far less cramped than the palace.”
They arrived at Darcy’s room first.
“Here you go,” Halor said. “The servants will ensure you have human food, though as Logan may have already told you, there’s no meat on this world. Our people have been vegetarians for many generations now.”
“That’s fine. I was never a fan of most meats, anyway.”
Halor pointed down the corridor. “We’ll be in that room on the end if you need us.”
“Just make sure to knock first,” Logan teased.
Darcy poked him in the ribs. “You make sure you shut the door.”
Leaving her to rest a while, Kit and the others headed into Halor’s rooms.
“Your father isn’t very happy,” Kit said once they were alone.
Halor made a noise that was a cross between a squawk and a snort. “Is he ever in a good mood? Don’t worry about him, Kit. We’re not staying here long.”
“Good,” Kit muttered. “If your whole family thinks I’m going to kick out my children as soon as I can, I’m not sure I want to be around here to listen to their insults.”
“Why would they think that, anyway?” Logan asked.
Halor waved Logan over to one of the seats near the fireplace. He and Kit followed and he pulled Kit onto his lap. “You’re soon going to be too heavy for this,” he teased.
When they were all seated, Kit leaned into Halor with a sigh of contentment and faced Logan. “What you have to understand about my species is that they haven’t had the best track record in child-rearing. When most others—like the avian clans, for example—had begun to stay in their family units for many years, the felines were still sending their children out on their own as soon as they came of age.”
“That doesn’t mean you will,” Halor said. “We’re a family and our children will stay in our nest for as long as they want to.”
Kit shook his head. “I wish they could, but we both know they won’t be able to survive if they stay with us.”
“What do you mean?” Logan asked.
“They’ll need to feed,” Kit said.
“So, we feed them. What’s the problem?”
Kit gave him a droll stare. “You’ve forgotten already what felines live on?”
“Oh.” Logan flushed. “Um, so how does that work?”
Kit smiled, though he suspected it came across more like a grimace. “When the babies are born, I’ll produce milk to feed them. That’ll nourish them until they’re weaned, which can be anywhere between six months to a year. For me, it’ll probably be at the lower end.”
“Why is that?”
“At the moment my female hormones are becoming increasingly dominant. After the birth, the male ones will be slowly taking over again, and as that happens, I’ll produce less and less milk. When the milk dries up, they’ll move on to the next stage, which is other forms of sustenance.”
“Like what?” Logan asked. “Surely not…er, what adults drink?”
Kit laughed. “No, that comes later. Children live on milk from plants. Unlike this planet with its huge bodies of water, Furyne is largely vegetation. The main source of employment back there is farming the milk. We’ll have to stock up on it after the birth. I bought some long-term storage containers for the plant milk back at the spaceport, though you probably didn’t notice them amongst all the other things we purchased.”
“Plant milk doesn’t sound like a varied diet,” Logan said.
“Different plants on Furyne produce different types of milk,” Kit explained. “With the right combination, our young get all the nutrients they need until they are adults. It seems unvaried, but you have to remember that our digestive systems can only handle milk and cream. Breast milk from our mamas at first, then plant milk, and finally, as we come of age, we need either cream or milk, depending on our sexual preference. We can still drink plant milk after we’re adults, but it’s no longer enough for us. If we try to live on it as adults, we slowly starve—not as quickly as if we had nothing at all, but the end result is the same. That’s why our feline children have to leave home so soon. If they don’t, they starve to death.”
Logan rose and walked across to Kit and Halor, crouching down in front of them. “You’re forgetting something.”
Kit frowned. “What?”
“Our children are only going to be half feline. They’re also half human, and humans can live on a huge variety of foods.”
“You think they might be able to survive without the need for milk or cream?”
“It’s certainly a possibility,” Halor said. “Your twins will be the first ever human-feline hybrids. We have no way of knowing just what they will inherit from each of you.”
Kit brightened up considerably at the thought that his own children might not be forced to choose between starvation or prostituting themselves to anyone who could feed them.
* * * *
A knock on the door woke Kit from his nap.
“Maybe Darcy is having trouble with something,” Logan suggested as he climbed out of bed and went to see who it was.
A servant with a red patch that covered his whole chest stood in the doorway.
“What is it, Robin?” Halor asked as he, too, hurried to the door.
Robin bowed. “Pardon my intrusion, Your Highness, but your mother has requested the presence of you and your nest for afternoon snacks.”
Halor groaned. “Just what I didn’t want this afternoon.”
Kit stepped closer and rubbed up against his back. “Can’t you politely decline?”
“I wish I could,” Halor admitted. “I assume the invitation includes Darcy?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“I’d better go get her,” Logan said before he slipped past Robin.
Robin turned his attention to Kit.
“Master Kit,” he said, giving another small bow. “May I offer you my congratulations?”
Kit hung his head. “Thank you, but the babies aren’t Halor’s.”
“I am aware of this,” Robin replied. “I offered my congratulations to you, not to His Highness, though I am sure Prince Halor is as delighted as can be.”
“I am,” Halor said. “And we thank you, don’t we Kit?”
Kit nodded and slipped into Halor’s embrace.
“If I may speak out of turn,” Robin said.
“You may,” Halor replied. “You know I’ve always valued your opinions in all things.”
Robin smiled at Kit. “I have never been an advocate of the current nest system. It has always seemed very one-sided, where only the favourites of the nest owner are ever truly content, then often for only a short time until they are replaced by a younger, more handsome or beautiful bird. Prince Halor does not run his nest in such a manner and it shows in how contented you and Logan are, at least when you aren’t worrying about what others think. If I had been lucky enough to be invited to join a nest, I would have wanted it to be one such as this.”
Kit sniffled as the old servant put into words exactly what he needed to hear right now.
“Thank you, Robin,” Halor said.
Robin bowed again, which seemed to be Logan and Darcy’s cue to appear.
“Are we all ready to go?” Darcy asked. “I’m starving. I’ve never been invited to a royal tea party before. I’m so excited.”
“I hadn’t noticed,” Logan said in a droll voice.
“What about you, Kit?” Halor asked. “Do you want to join us or would you rather rest a while?”
Kit was tired, but also extremely curious to see whether the queen had softened since their arrival. “Is there a banquet tonight?”
“No, sir,” Robin said. “The next official banquet is scheduled two nights hence. I believe the queen is intending to combine this celebration with His Highness’s missed hatchday party.”
“Oh good,” Halor muttered. “I can hardly wait.”
Kit smothered a smile. “Providing I can retire early, I’ll come along for the snacks.”
“Then let’s go,” Darcy said, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet in her eagerness.
“Lead the way, Robin,” Halor said.
Kit, tucked under Halor’s arm, followed the rest across to the other side of the palace where Halor’s parents’ quarters were located and where informal afternoon snacks were held.
Robin knocked on the door and waited for one of the queen’s servants to respond. The door opened a moment later and they entered.
“Halor!” Maz waved at him from his cushions near the balcony. “Mother told me you were back.”
Kit lingered at the back, taking in the occupants of the room. The queen was nowhere in sight. There was just Maz, a male lower class avian he vaguely recognised as being a newer member of Maz’s nest, and a few servants.
“Where’s Mother?” Halor asked.
“She’s gone to squawk at the kitchen staff,” Maz replied as he jumped to his feet. “Someone forgot to pick out the pumpkin seeds and you know how she hates those. Come on in, everyone. I recognise Kit and Logan, of course, but who is this other delightful creature.”
Kit ducked out of the way as Maz swooped in on Darcy.
“This is Logan’s sister, Darcy,” Halor said.
“Well, come on in, Miss Darcy,” Maz said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Let me introduce you all to Keeshan. Halor and Kit, you may recall him from previous visits. He is now Prime Beak in my nest.”
Keeshan smiled and preened. “In case the humans don’t know, that means I’m now the first choice of Maz amongst the many members of his nest.” He pulled aside his kilt, revealing a long, thick cock and not too subtly hinting at the reason he had acquired such a place. Kit hoped he enjoyed his elevated station while he could. He had met several previous Prime Beaks from Maz’s nest, and none of them had stayed in the position for long.
“Oh my god,” Darcy gasped.
Keeshan gave a satisfied smirk at her reaction but made no effort to cover himself again.
“Is this normal behaviour?” Darcy whispered to Kit.
Kit shrugged. “Not all species believe in hiding their bodies. Many of us only wear garments for comfort and protection against the elements. The only reason I generally wear kilts is because the seating on Halor’s ship is cold on my skin.”
“Darcy is from the Jupiter,” Logan explained, “a different Earth ship to the one I’m from. She hasn’t been around many other species and is still getting used to differences in customs.”
Maz hooked his arm through Darcy’s and gave her a bright smile. “I’m sure we’ll be happy to help educate her. Give us an hour or two and she’ll have shed those restrictive garments, too.”
Darcy laughed. “I think it might take more than a couple of hours.” She let Maz lead her to the low, round table covered in a variety of seeds along with a few human dishes. Kit and the others followed, leaving Robin to return to his duties.
Kit sat between Logan and Halor, with Darcy on Logan’s other side. Too late, he realised he was quite hungry and wished he had taken sustenance prior to leaving the privacy of their chambers. Darcy had reacted quite calmly to Keeshan’s display of his body, but that didn’t mean she wanted to see Kit sucking cock while she ate her biscuits.
Everyone else picked at the food, snacking on one thing after the other. Only Kit was left with an increasingly loud growling stomach.
“Don’t you want to eat?” Keeshan asked.
Kit shrugged. “I’m not very hungry right now.”
Maz laughed. “Liar. I can hear your stomach from over here. Why aren’t you feeding, Kit? You didn’t used to be so shy.”
“Leave him alone,” Halor warned.
Maz, who had never been able to take a hint, even one as anvil-sized as Halor’s, ploughed on regardless. “So, when are you due? Why didn’t you tell me you were dual-gendered? And most importantly, which of your two men is responsible for your condition?”
Kit whimpered and subconsciously inched closer to Logan.
“Logan’s the father then,” Maz concluded. “How progressive of you all. I can guess why you didn’t say anything, which leaves the question of when you’re due.”
“We don’t know,” Halor replied shortly. “Feline gestation is six months. Humans are nine months. Kit is nearly three months gone. So another three months is a possibility, as is another six. We’ll find out in due course. Now, why don’t you tell us what’s been happening around here while we’ve been away?”
Kit gave Halor a grateful smile as he leaned his head on Logan’s shoulder. He would just close his eyes for a little while.
* * * *
“Is he asleep?” Logan whispered to Halor.
Halor smiled. “Yes, he sure is. Do you think we should take him back to our rooms?”
“No, he’s fine. There’s no need to disturb him.”
Logan eased Kit down so his head rested on Logan’s lap. He stroked his fur with one hand while picking up food with the other.
“Logan seems to have settled into your nest rather well,” Maz commented casually.
“I have, indeed,” Logan said.
“Is it just Kit you have a taste for, or is it Halor, too?” Maz asked.
Logan didn’t appreciate the personal question and glared at Maz.
“Ah,” Maz replied, clearly drawing his own conclusions. “It’s just the feline you like to fuck. Poor Halor. I thought at least you’d be sharing your affections between them.”
“We’re an equal partnership,” Halor said.
Maz chuckled. “I can see that. You both fuck the feline equally frequently. But aren’t you forgetting the purpose of a nest is for the pleasure of the owner?”
“I’m perfectly happy with my nest,” Halor snapped. “You just worry about your own and stay out of mine.”
Keeshan stared at Darcy a little too hard during the course of this discussion and Logan shifted in his seat to try to block his view. Maz seemed to have picked up on the silent exchange.
>
“And what about Miss Darcy?” Maz asked. “I’m sure she would be most welcome in many a nest if she wanted to stay on this world for a while.”
Darcy screwed up her nose and shook her head. “I’m a one-man kind of woman. I don’t like to share.”
Logan chuckled and tried to lighten the mood with a joke. “I can vouch for that. Even as a child she was notoriously selfish with her toys.”
Darcy glared at him before turning back to Maz.
“Do you intend to stay in this system?” Maz queried. “You may change your mind in time, once you see how content those in nests can be.”
“Even though a nest with others will probably never be for me, I may not travel to New Earth with the rest of my people. I haven’t decided yet. It may be our people decide to settle nearby, and if that’s the case, I won’t have to choose at all.”
Logan didn’t want to influence Darcy’s decision but he hoped she might like to remain a part of his life instead of travelling on with the Jupiter if Captain Farraday decided against finding a planet nearby to settle on.
The queen appeared partway through the meal. Logan caught the sneer on her face before she quickly covered it with a friendly mask. He wouldn’t say anything in front of Halor, but he didn’t really like her much.
After Queen Valencia’s arrival, the conversation seemed even more strained than it had already been.
“So, Halor, have you decided what you intend to do about this breach of etiquette?” she asked.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Halor replied in a tone that would suggest that he knew exactly what she referred to but had no intention of rising to the bait.
“Your Prime Beak has betrayed you by allowing another to fuck him, though I can’t say it’s entirely unexpected, since felines aren’t known for their fidelity. I can tell your whore has also given in to the vulgar need to claim both of you.”
“Mother!” Halor snapped, cawing loudly and waking Kit.
“What is it?” Kit asked.
“Nothing, darling,” Halor assured him. “Go back to sleep.”
